New to ats and reefing

[orionstrident]

So i just set up a 30 gallon tank it is cycling it has live rock and live sand in it i want to set up a refugium for the tank so i have a place to put fish and come stuff that arent really getting along it i have too so i was goign to do the ats system of of my over flow right into a sump over the screen with one light it would be one screen as big as i could fit then a divider with sand on the other side my heater a divider and then the return pump. my question is i dont really understand the whole light thing i have basking lights and stuff for reptiles and they have the metal cone with 60 watt day bulbs would one of those work they get pretty warm and if not what kind of bulb do i need.

thanks for all your help

[SantaMonica]

Don't use a reptile lamp. Get something in the 3000K range, although up to 6500K will work. The cheapest, lightest, proven light would be a CFL curly-Q spiral like this:

http://www.1000bulbs.com/product/36676/FC42-801042.html

It just needs a clip-on socket like this:
http://www.radio-media.com/fish/BestCFL2.jpg

For a screen 12" X 12", you'd want one of these bulbs per side. ALWAYS point the bulbs to the middle of the screen, not the top.

http://www.radio-media.com/fish/CFLbulbs.jpg

[orionstrident]

thanks man really appreciate it but what size screen would i use for only one side because i don't really have the space under my tank for a double light set up

[SantaMonica]

Tank Size Guideline:

0.5 actual (not equivalent) fluorescent watts per gallon MINIMUM [0.13 watts per liter].

1.0 actual (not equivalent) fluorescent watts per gallon for HIGH filtering [0.26 watts per liter].

1.0 square inches of screen per gallon, with bulbs on BOTH sides (10 x 10 = 100 square inches = 100 gal) [1.64 square cm per liter]

2.0 square inches of screen per gallon, if vertical but lit on just ONE side. [3.28 square cm per liter]

4.0 square inches of screen per gallon, if HORIZONTAL [6.56 square cm per liter].

1.5 actual (not equivalent) fluorescent watts per gallon if HORIZONTAL [0.4 watts per liter].

18 hours of lights ON, and 6 hours of lights OFF, each day.

Flow is 24 hours, and is at least 35 gph per inch of width of screen, EVEN IF one sided [60 lph per cm].

Very rough screen made of roughed-up-like-a-cactus plastic canvas.

Clean algae off of screen every SEVEN (7) days NO MATTER WHAT YOU THINK.

[mikepao13]

For a screen 12" X 12", you'd want one of these bulbs per side?????????????????????????????

i had the impression tha 144 sq inches need 6 cfl's 23w each, why you say 2????

[SantaMonica]

He has 30 gal, so 46 total watts is plenty on a small screen.

If you had a 12 X 12, you'd want a minimum of 72 total watts, and preferably 144 watts.

[orionstrident]

Yeh i am decided one of those bulbs you linked to me and a 9x6 screen for it suspended ove my sump/refugium which i am making out of a 10 gallon or a 20 long